


Malec Hotel

by Fluxx



Series: The Spook Cruise, 2020 [1]
Category: Hazbin Hotel (Web Series), Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Angel Dust-Typical Sexual Content (Hazbin Hotel), Crossover, Demon Deals, Gen, Halloween, Innuendo, Prompt Fill, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 02:22:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26964379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fluxx/pseuds/Fluxx
Summary: When Madzie accidentally loses her hat, who else but Magnus and Alec will valiantly venture to the Seelie Glade to retrieve it. There's just one problem: the hatisn'tin the Seelie Glade, and it's going to take nothing short of adealto get it back.Prompt response forThe Spook Cruise, 2020:Malec + Hazbin AU.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: The Spook Cruise, 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967719
Comments: 4
Kudos: 10





	Malec Hotel

“No! My hat!”

“Madzie!” Alec yelled, hand catching the little girl’s arm just moments before she collided against the bridge’s wrought-iron rail. Gathering her into a tight hug, he enjoyed a fleeting moment of relief before glancing through the bars to the river gently passing below them. His heart broke.

Magnus drew up beside them, face pinched with displeasure. “I’m sorry, Sweet Pea,” he sighed, watching the wide-brimmed hat slowly sink below the water’s surface. “I don’t think we can retrieve it.”

Madzie turned in Alec’s arms to raise wide, glistening eyes up at Magnus. “But what about my costume?”

Magnus and Alec exchanged a look. Madzie knew full well what magic could do - the both of them could tell something else was at play here. Alec took the first swing at it, laying his hand gently upon the little cowgirl’s shoulder. “I bet if you ask Magnus nicely, he’ll conjure you a new one?”

“I need _that_ one!” she quickly insisted. She hesitated, then averted her eyes towards the ground. “I picked that one out special.”

Magnus frowned. He tried - unsuccessfully - to catch Madzie’s eyes. “From where?”

“I just wanted to borrow it!” exclaimed the anxious little girl. “I was gonna put it back right after. I didn’t think the wind would steal it!”

Alec looked confusedly up at Magnus, who had taken to rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Relics from Catarina’s past,” he groaned. “We did a brief - _very_ brief - stint in the midwest gold rush. Long and _incredibly_ uneventful story short, that hat belonged to a particular fleeting fling of hers.”

“Wait, wha—”

“Not important!” Magnus eagerly urged, turning and waving the rest of their entourage over. “Point being, we’d better go and see if Her Majesty won’t return that cowgirl hat, lest Madzie live to see another day.”

Alec exchanged a concerned look with a wide-eyed Madzie. “That doesn’t sound very ‘fleeting’ to me.”

“We’ve got her,” Clary assured them with a smile, placing a gentle hand upon Madzie’s shoulder.

Izzy meanwhile passed her brother a concerned look. “Be careful. The Seelies tend to go a bit overboard with their fun around this time of year.”

“And it’s a full moon,” Jace pointed out with a heavenward glance. “And that daylight thing the Mundanes do.”

“Not _all_ of them,” Simon corrected. He looked Magnus over head-to-toe. “But you got this. After all, you can do magic. And Alec does stuff.”

“Ha ha,” Alec replied with a roll of his eyes. He sighed, then turned to Magnus and offered his hand. “Shall we, then?”

Magnus grasped it with a confident smile, then declared before they took the plunge, “To the Glade!”

* * *

“Oof!”

“Ow!”

“Sorry, sorry…”

“It’s fine. Are you— _oh no_.”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Um, okay, Alexander, just… Don’t panic, okay? It’s—”

“Magnus! Wait… What the hell?!”

Alec’s mouth dropped open into a full gape as he looked back and forth between his… not hands, but paws?! Turning them over, there was no denying it, complete with retracting claws and short, tan fur. “What’s going on?! Why do I have dog arms?”

“And dog ears,” Magnus unhelpfully replied. “And face. And tail. German Shepherd, I think?”

Alec looked up to retort, then remembered why he’d checked himself in the first place: he was staring face-to-face with a black-haired, yellow-eyed cat. Cat person. Magnus still wore his usual silken finery, and the eyes weren’t exactly any different than before, but his ears were now pointed and set atop his head, his face was literally the shape of a cat’s, and a thin tail snaked out from a fresh hole in the back of his pants. “What the hell happened to us?” Alec murmured, then finally turned to look about their surroundings. His eyes widened at what he saw. “Where _are_ we?!”

It looked _nothing_ like the Seelie Glade - much the opposite, in fact. They sat in the middle of a street, each side lined with buildings. Half those buildings were in some state of active disrepair: crumbling stonework, raging fires… Sirens, screams, and various artillery noises filled the air, yet what sparse people they could see - all of them some kind of animal humanoid - seemed hardly phased by the chaos. To top it all off, the whole of the sky was a deep, ominous crimson, with no indication of whether it was night or day - if indeed either of those things existed in this place. All in all it was, to say the least, _quite_ distressing.

And that was _before_ Magnus tugged on Alec’s thankfully-intact leather jacket and pointed to the sky. “Um, Alexander?” Alec’s eyes followed his finger, then widened as they beheld the crisp pentagram arching overhead. “I do believe we’re in Hell. Literally.”

“Damn Seelies,” Alec growled, the accuracy of that particular descriptor disturbing him even more than the surrounding warzone. “Can you get us back? I somehow doubt we’re going to find that hat here.”

Magnus eyed his tiny, flat paws. He wiggled his stubby fingers, flexed his claws… then dropped them with a sigh. “It would seem I’ve somehow lost that particular skill set.” He took thorough survey of Alec, leaning to get a better look of his back and both hips. “And you appear to be runeless. I presume you’re furthermore unable to summon your weapons?”

He glowered at his paws. “Even if I could…” Still, he gave it a try, holding them in their expectant positions for a brief moment before shaking his head. “Nope. Nothing.”

“In that case,” Magnus began, but as he spoke a shrill whistle began to sound around them. They frowned, uncertain at first what it could be - when they figured it out, they immediately dove for cover, _barely_ avoiding the powerful blast that decimated the entire area as a grenade exploded not a few yards away from them. Silently, they both thanked the large mass that had served as their shield, forcing themselves to ignore the part where it was apparently a massive neon sign for a strip club. They took solace in the club’s apparent state of disarray, at least.

As they tried to make sense of what had happened, a loud cackling filled the air. “Holy shit, Cherri! Nice shot!” Curiosity got the better of them just long enough to glimpse a pair of figures: one with a large drape of thick, red hair hanging about a single, giant eye and one with too many arms sprouting from an impossibly slender body. They quickly ducked back below the sign as said arms suddenly pulled out a machine gun and started unloading across the whole area.

“What the hell?!” Alec hissed under his teeth. “Are those demons?!”

“Not like any I’ve ever seen,” Magnus remarked, trying to keep his cool as he waited for a break in the onslaught. Unbeknownst to him, the anxious writhing of his tail gave away true feelings on the matter.

Finally, the gunfire stopped, and Magnus slowly inched his head around the edge of their meager shelter. Alec scooted closer to him, leaning over in anticipation.

“FUCK yes!” a shrill cry exploded behind them, causing them both to topple into a scrambling panic. Before they could recover their grounding, they felt their collars tug back as the one-eyed demon yanked them out of hiding. Their eyes widened, staring up at a giant, toothy grin. “Fresh meat!”

“Hey hey hey!” cautioned the other voice, and soon the multi-armed demon was bent over the fallen sign. One hand cupped his cheek while another plucked at Magnus’s clothes. “They look rich.” His expression turned uncomfortably sultry, bedroom eyes shifting between both of them and his voice shifting to a coaxing purr. “Waddya say, fellas? I’ll even give ya Angie’s Double Team Special: fifty percent off the second fucker.”

Alec felt his muzzle wrinkle. “We’ll pass.”

“Aww,” the demon whined, rolling over and showing off his inhuman flexibility. The pose accentuated the tuft of fur on his chest, making it look like a full bosom packed tight against the feeble seams and buttons of his jacket. “Come on, it’ll be fun! Everyone knows I’m the best fuck this side of the pentagram. I’ll put your dicks wherever you want ‘em: hands, mouth, ass - hell, with enough lube we can stretch me out and _both_ you studs can stuff my—”

“We don’t have any money,” Magnus interrupted. Alec gave him a look…

…But it apparently worked. “Damn it!” the demon yelled, whipping back around and up to a stand. Two of his hands clenched the sign enough for it to crunch under his grip. “Next time _start_ with that, assholes!”

“ _Now_ can I kill ‘em?!” the other demon whined, leaning over and shoving her hungry face in Alec’s. “I bet _this_ one would make a _great_ trophy!”

“Get your filthy claws off me!” Alec barked, at last having had enough of the pair and taking it upon himself to swipe back at - Cherri, was it? Even without his runes and weapons, he was still a Shadowhunter, damn it! He put those skills to use, swiftly rolling onto his feet and sweeping his leg against hers in a single, fluid motion. Despite the awkwardness of adjusting to a different body, he successfully toppled her to the ground, giving Magnus the opportunity to pounce and pin her safely to the side.

“Ooo, feisty!” the first demon grinned, hungrily eying Alec. “I might just suck your dick for free!”

“Get off me, bitch!” Cherri yelled, her fighting growing increasingly fervent the more it proved useless against Magnus’s hold. “Who the fuck do you think you are?!”

“Magnus Bane,” he begrudgingly replied, hoping this might be one of those rare cases where noting his lineage actually came in handy. “High Warlock of Brooklyn.”

Cherri instantly stopped fighting - not because any of that intimidated her, but because, to the contrary, she had _no_ idea what any of it meant. “Huh?”

“Oh shit, you got drugs?!” the other demon rejoiced. “I’ll let you plow me for an ounce!”

“We’re not ‘plowing’ anyone!” Alec angrily asserted, fixing him with a stern glare. “Look, we’re just here to retrieve a hat, and then we’re leaving.”

“Leaving?” Cherri cackled. “Oh my _fucking_ god, Angie, can you _believe_ these dipshits?!”

“Angie,” apparently, was likewise doubled-over in laughter. “You shitheads must be _really_ fucking new here! No one just up and fucking ‘leaves’ Hell, you dumbfucks! What the hell kind of demons _are_ you to think you can just—”

“Half-demon,” Magnus interrupted.

“Eh?” Angie muttered, passing him a confounded look.

“Technically,” Magnus reiterated, “I’m only a half-demon. My mother was human. And him?” He looked at Alec and pointed with his tail so he could keep Cherri under a secure hold. “He’s a nephilim. Half-angel.”

The two demons slowly looked at each other… then completely busted a gut.

“You?! You… You really think… ?!”

“Half… Ha-Ha-HALF… ?!”

“A fuckin’… Oh, shit! You gotta… You gotta be shitting me!”

“An angel! A fucking… !!!”

Magnus and Alec exchanged a helpless look. They were getting absolutely _nowhere_ with this - well, except that the two demons weren’t trying to kill them anymore. There was that, at least. Beyond that? They didn’t appear to have any choice beyond simply waiting out the pair’s relentless laughter.

Thankfully, it didn’t last _too_ long. “Oh, damn. You two are a fucking riot.”

“You assholes won’t last a _day_ around here!”

“I give them an hour!”

“Fuck!” Suddenly, Cherri snapped her fingers, apparently having completely forgotten - or else stopped caring - about Magnus’s hold on her. “Angie, why don’t you take them to that broad’s dumb hotel, or whatever?”

He suddenly brightened. “Shit, you’re right!” Without warning, one of his hands shot out and stroked Alec’s cheek as he gave him a cocky smirk. “Dumb bitch would be so pleased, she may even lay off my case for a while!”

Alec snapped his jowls, inspiring the demon to yank his hand back. “Don’t touch me!”

“Good luck with _that_ one,” Cherri snickered.

Angie rolled his eyes. “Look, if _anyone_ around here is going to give helping you two a single thought, it’s her. Besides, you look like exactly her type.” He gave them a both a quick once-over, then scoffed, “The ‘rehabilitative’ type, if such a thing even fucking exists.”

Alec glanced at Magnus. Magnus shrugged, then finally released Cherri and got up off the ground. “It doesn’t seem like we have much choice.”

“Fine,” Alec grumbled, then fixed Angie with a glare. “We’ll go with you and check out this… ‘hotel.’ But no blow jobs!”

The demon laughed, then gave his friend a wink before turning to lead the way. “Sure. Whatever you say, Toots.”

* * *

“Oh my gosh… Oh my gosh!” an incongruously sweet and chipper voice rang as they stepped through the tall, stained-glass doors. “Vaggie, come and see! Angel brought new guests!”

The building was barely lit, little more than a few flickering flames dispersed throughout providing passingly sufficient illumination. It was just enough for Magnus and Alec to slowly make out a strange amalgam of furniture and structures as their eyes adjusted: a plush loveseat, a toppled refrigerator, and a fireplace and concierge desk whose recently-renovated appearances made them stick out like a sore thumb. Some kind of tiny creature was zipping about the place, too preoccupied with inspecting the room’s every nook and cranny to even notice their arrival, and a large, grouchy bat-like demon flicked them off from behind the concierge desk, his other hand making a point of dumping the full contents of a bottle of booze down his throat.

The owner of their loud greeting giddily bounced in the middle of the room, her eyes wide and her pale fists trembling with excitement. Magnus parted his lips to introduce himself, but before he could another voice seized the moment. “What?!” it cried, significantly sharper than the first. “No way. I don’t fucking believe it! What are you up to, Angel?!”

Magnus and Alec jumped, the tip of a _very_ sharp-looking spear suddenly whipping forth to rest just beneath Angel’s chin. Apparently, this was at least mildly typical, as Angel hardly reacted except to roll his eyes and nonchalantly move the spear aside with the tip of his finger. “Don’t get your tits in a twist, Toots. I _am_ capable of charity and good will and whatever when I fucking feel like it.”

She narrowed her eyes - er, eye - and pursed her lips, clearly not believing it for a second. Her companion, on the other hand, was all smiles, a refreshing sight for the two hopefully-very-temporary-visitors. “Welcome to the Happy Hotel!” she exclaimed, snatching each of their hands in turn to give them the most energetic handshakes of their lives. “My name’s Charlie, and I’m so happy to meet you! Congratulations on taking the first very important step on your journey towards—”

“Whoa, whoa, slow down there, Sugar Tits,” Angel interjected. “You’re gonna have to start from Square One with these bozos - they don’t even think they belong here in the first place.”

Instantly, the hope flickered out from the rosy-cheeked demon’s face. “What?” she asked, glancing confusedly between Angel, Magnus, and Alec. “Oh, no… I’m so sorry. See, if you two are here, then that means you died, and… Well, if you’re _here_ here, then um… I’m sorry to say it, but you must not have lived very good lives.”

At that, Alec couldn’t help but release a loud scoff. “Listen, we’ve been trying to tell Angie - erm, Angel - this whole time. We didn’t die, we _came_ here. Intentionally.”

“Well, that explains how you got _here_ specifically,” Vaggie mused. She seemed relatively more at ease, but nonetheless maintained a steadfast hold of her spear.

Magnus’s hand preemptively slipped into Alec’s. “We didn’t kill ourselves,” he corrected her. “We jumped through a portal hoping to reach the Fair Folk.”

A laugh burst out of Angel. “Ain’t nobody plays ‘fair’ around here. Well, except maybe these bitches.”

“Shut your whore mouth!” Vaggie snapped back.

“No, no, that’s not what…” Alec began, but abandoned the thought, recognizing it as totally useless to try and explain. Instead, he went for the point, in the desperate hope they hadn’t landed here for naught. “Look, I know it sounds ridiculous, but we’re looking for a hat. A cowgirl hat, specifically. We think it landed here.”

Silence. The three demons stared at them, mouths agape, until Angel at long last turned to the other two. “Total basket cases. You can’t write this shit!”

“It’s true!” Magnus tried to defend, but Charlie was already moving to lay her hands sympathetically upon their backs.

“It’s okay,” she gently replied, “I know it’s all very confusing. But, you’re in luck! Listen, this hotel is the perfect place for you to work on yourselves. Honestly, by the sounds of it? I bet you’ll both earn your ways out of here in—”

“Say!” yet another voice called through the bizarre building. It was clearly male, but had a… distinct quality to it. Like one of those really old radios Magnus recalled from a few decades ago. “Did someone make mention of a hat?”

Although the words gave Magnus and Alec just a touch of hope, Vaggie and Charlie _immediately_ turned to stand defensively between them and this strange, red-pinstriped newcomer. Angel meanwhile flashed him a wink and a wide smirk. “Smiles! Come to take me up on that blow job offer?”

“Ha! No!” the demon declared, a screech-like static somehow flickering throughout the room as he did. Without sparing a moment, he loomed ominously closer, his eyes and mouth so wide they consumed the full of his face. “I was taking my afternoon account of the premises when I happened to overhear these fine fellows’ peculiar predicament!”

Alec tried to reply, but Charlie stepped forward first, her hands anxiously flailing before her. “Oh, no you don’t, Alastor! No harassing the guests, remember?! These are _good folk_ who we here at the Happy Hotel are committed to helping better themselves! I won’t allow you to take advantage of them, no matter how confused they are.”

“Are they, my dear?” he purred, and obviously sinister gleam tainting his grin. With a large, elegant gesture of his hand, a cacophony of symbols drifted about a whorl of green-and-black light centered upon his claw-like fingers. A white tear in space itself slit down the middle of the light, and through it fell a dark tan cowgirl hat, simple and innocent and unassuming despite the distinct evil that had brought it into existence.

Magnus and Alec’s eyes went wide, but they kept their mouths firmly sealed. They knew far better than to say anything, lest they accidentally give away just how much value they placed in the hat, and so merely exchanged a glance, silently confirming with each other that this was indeed Madzie’s - or rather Catarina’s - hat.

Angel, on the other hand, had absolutely no qualms announcing anything and everything that was on his mind. “What the fuck?” he muttered, bending over towards Charlie. “Is this for real? Is any of these guys’ bullshit actually possible?”

“I… I don’t know… !” Charlie replied, still blinking in half-awe, half-apprehension at Alastor.

“Whether it is or not,” Vaggie grumbled, turning to glare sternly up at Alec, “you guys can _not_ mess with this guy. He’s one of Hell’s most powerful demons, and he’s a dealmaker who can _not_ be trusted!”

“Thanks for the warning,” Alec replied, keeping his eyes trained firmly upon Alastor. “We’ll be okay. We’ve dealt with _plenty_ of powerful demons before.” He turned a raised brow to Magnus.

Magnus nodded, then carefully eyed Alastor head-to-toe. “Where exactly did you _get_ that hat? How can we be certain of its authenticity?”

“Ah! Yes, yes, a fair question!” Alastor’s strange voice giddily declared. “I was taking my customary evening stroll about the pentagram. Tonight’s one of the better nights for it, you see: so many hapless souls to witness descending into Hell for the very first time, what with this particular holiday’s penchant for injudicious tomfoolery!”

Alec jumped, as in the blink of an eye Alastor was suddenly at his side with one arm slung over his shoulders and the other holding his staff to the sky, as if presenting Alec with a majestic vision. “What a night! Drunken escapades, gluttonous disregard… Yes, my fine gentlemen, this night of all nights has it all! You’d have to be a right ninny to miss it!”

Magnus moved to say something, but with another shadowy slip Alastor moved once more and now stood a few paces in front of them. His back was turned to them, but his head grinned ominously over his shoulder. He held his free hand to his side, Madzie’s hat floating above his open palm with its own green-and-black aura. “But what should I stumble across? Not a fresh, ripe spirit of inadequate experience and bearing to hold their own against the denizens of hell, but a hat! Lucky me, a plain and ordinary hat, save of course for the styling dating it from a particular time and place in United States history and the smell - the SMELL! A smell marking its prior owner as distinctly…”

He twisted around in place to face them fully, and all of a sudden the entire room darkened save for the unsettling red glow of Alastor’s eyes. An electric humming steadily swelled through the air as he finished with a single, chuckling word: “Alive.”

“Great,” Alec replied, eying the surrounding hotel as it suddenly slipped back to normalcy. Well, this world’s “normalcy.” “So, it fell from the world of the living through a portal in the sky. By the look of things, I’m guessing you’re not going to just give it back?”

“Hah!” the demon cackled. “No no no, that would be ridiculous! A wasted opportunity! Nay, my good fellow: why, if you want this here hat, well then you’re going to have to _bargain_ for it! A trade, if you will!” His staff disappeared with a flourish of his hand, and in its place unfurled a short piece of paper filled with lines of script. “Your price is simple: a single favor, to be redeemed by me! At any future point of my choosing. And, since it’s such a fortuitous night, I’ll even let you two pick who of you will be the one to render it!”

Alec looked back at Magnus, who was making a show of rubbing his chin and carefully considering the offer before him. He was, after all, the far more experienced dealmaker of the two of them. “Fair enough,” he murmured, eyes narrowing upon the text of the contract. “There are just… _two_ problems with that arrangement, by my count. First, as I am unable to verify the hat for myself, we’ll be taking it on faith that you’re telling the truth about this hat: a fact I would quite like to be considered for the balancing of this deal. Second, the matter of…” Rather than try and put it to words, he simply gestured to the hotel. “I should think a simple relocation to our own world - and _forms_ \- would be a fair balance to our trust in this hat of yours, but I fail to see how we could possibly make good on this ‘favor’ if we’re no longer even in the same universe. Really, this is protecting your investment more than our accord, but it’s only fair that I mention it.”

Alastor’s eyes narrowed, but his grin remained nonetheless wide. “Yes, yes, quite a conundrum, that! Hmm.” He ground his teeth for but a moment in thought, then suddenly his eyes were wide once more. “Ah-ha!” he cried with a snap of his fingers, the contract immediately bursting into a small, green flame that quickly fizzled out. When he laid out his hand once more, a single piece of candy sat innocently atop his palm. “I shall, as requested, return the two of you to the time, place, and physicality you were just before taking the leap into our delightful little realm - with the addition of this hat, of course! In exchange, I’ll file my favor right here and now: that you deliver this tiny little treat to the sweet little girl that lost it.” His eyes glinted as he eagerly leaned closer. “It _is_ Halloween, after all!”

 _That_ made them anxious. Magnus and Alec exchanged another look. Was it at all wise to get Madzie involved with this? Sure, she’d lost the hat, but a deal with a powerful demon was hardly a fair consequence of that. On the other hand, what choice did they have? They didn’t exactly have much bargaining power: even if they forgot the hat completely, they were still left with the problem of getting back home without _any_ apparent way to do so. Probably, they’d have to try Charlie’s whole “redemption” thing, which… honestly, might take forever, if it was even possible in the first place. Besides, this was _Madzie_ they were talking about…

…And Alastor didn’t know _a thing_ about her.

“Very well,” Magnus finally replied, moving towards Alastor.

Alec reflexively put his paw out to stop him. “Magnus, are you sure about this? We don’t know this guy… what he’s capable of. If he’s even telling the truth.”

“It’s all guaranteed by the deal,” Magnus replied with a narrow-eyed nod. “Our terms are clear, and even _he_ can’t go against his own word.” He held out his hand.

“No, don’t!” Vaggie protested.

“We can help you find another way!” Charlie chimed in.

“Yeah, stay a while!” Angel snickered from the sidelines. “You haven’t had a chance to sample _all_ the one and only Angel Dust has to offer!”

“Our decision has been made,” Magnus asserted. “Alastor will return Alec and I to our own world, in our proper bodies, with that cowgirl hat, at the time and location we were before we jumped through the portal. In exchange, we will give that piece of candy to the little girl who lost that hat.”

Alastor’s grin grew impossibly wider. His large, swirling eyes seemed to consume their entire sights. Green, billowing light took over all else, the world itself flickering and twitching as if experiencing some kind of static disturbance. The piece of candy gently touched down in Magnus’s outstretched hand, and Alastor’s voice became the only thing either of them could hear.

“It’s a deal, then!”

* * *

The whole group jumped as green-and-black light burst beside them.

“Demon!” Izzy yelped, immediately throwing out her whip. Simon huddled protectively around Madzie. Jace and Clary took defensive stances beside them, Seraph blades drawn.

“Ow!” Alec grumbled, shaking his arm until Izzy’s whip finally fell loose. “It’s just us!”

“Alec!” Madzie happily squealed, running up to him and throwing her arms around his legs. “Magnus! You made it back!”

“We almost didn’t,” Magnus sighed, giving himself and Alec a quick once-over. They both heaved a sigh of relief, finding themselves properly back in their normal forms. Just to make sure, Alec moved his hand to the side and summoned his bow into his grip, and Magnus let fly a small wisp of magic into the air with a twirl of his fingers.

“Good as new,” Alec chuckled, turning to Magnus with a fond smile.

Madzie tugged at the base of his jacket. “Did you find it?”

“As a matter of fact…” he replied, gesturing to Magnus with his hand.

At Alec’s presentation, Magnus gave Madzie a bow and a flourish of his hand. With another twirl of magic, the cowgirl hat appeared and hung from an outstretched fingertip.

“You found it!” she rejoiced, immediately snatching it up and planting it firmly upon her head. “Thank the Angel!”

Magnus winced. “Right. Um, about that. There is _one_ condition…”

The others turned alarmed looks to Alec, who had to quickly calm them with a staying raise of his hands. “It’s okay, he knows what he’s doing.”

With his other hand, Magnus produced a single piece of wrapped candy - Madzie reflexively went for it, but Magnus stopped her with a raised finger. “Ah-ah! Careful now, Sweet Pea. You should know that in order to get your hat back, we had to make a deal with a _very_ powerful demon. He made it very clear we were to give you this piece of candy. But…” He smirked at her. “He mentioned absolutely nothing against you - or anyone, really - tampering with it beforehand. So…”

Madzie grinned, then lifted her hands to either side of the candy. Her fingers wiggled, and her lips formed a series of whispered, ancient words. The candy glowed red, and then a thick, black ooze began to seep out until it at last broke free to drop to the ground with a single, wet splat. With the dark magic removed, she lowered her hands, and in turn the light around the candy faded. “Well? How’d I do?”

Magnus stood up and held the candy before his eyes, carefully scrutinizing it from every angle. “Hmm… Yes, you’re _far_ more capable than anyone gives you credit for! I’m happy to declare this delectable treat completely free of magic or any kind of demonic influence.” He smirked, then held the candy out for Madzie. “Thus will I deliver this piece of candy to its agreed-upon recipient and so declare our bargain complete. Happy Halloween, my dear!”

“Yippee!” Madzie exclaimed, eagerly taking the candy. She unwrapped it, popped it in her mouth, and gave a wide smile around the mundane peppermint melting upon her tongue. “Happy Halloween!”


End file.
